Impressions on the third EndoMarch Saturday, March 19, 2016 – Team Germany in Halle (Saale)

Flashback: EndoMarch 2016

On March 19th, 2016, the EndoMarch – an action day all about the disease endometriosis – took place for the third time. The “Christliche Akademie für Gesundheits- und Pflegeberufe” in Halle (Saale) is where it all went down.

Thanks to well placed posters and way markers, roughly thirty participants attended, some of which had to travel more than 310 miles. The university clinic Halle (Saale) organized everything at best, not only the signposting. The staff created the perfect atmosphere – ideally decorated premises and a delicious buffet. In total, the event covered two floors of the building. The upper room was used for presentations, the lower floor offered information and catering. Initiator Tilia said: ”everything was appealing and inviting. I really want to thank everybody for all the work and effort that was put in that cause.”

Extensive Program

The event’s goal was to wise up those living with the disease, their relatives or interested people as well as cross-disciplinary medical staff and inform about the different forms of endometriosis. In addition, current progressions regarding diagnosis, treatment and self help came up. After a short welcome by Prof. Dr. med Christoph Thomassen, director of the university gynecological clinic Halle (Saale), Dr. med Eva Kantelhardt gave a lecture on the possibilities of operative therapies. She was followed by Dr. med Solvier Köller who held a presentation ob fertility and Dr. med Dörte Meisel, licensed gynecologist, who informed about therapeutic approaches in her medical office. The culmination was the series of presentation of Senior Physician Dr. med Lilith Flotter who informed about pain therapy as well as the presentation of Dr. med Claus Peter Cornelius (wellness clinic, Bad Schmiedeberg) revealing different rehabilitation offers. The attendants participated actively, asked questions, and exploited the opportunity to receive helpful insights into endometriosis.

Only downer: The available info booths didn’t get lots of exposure for they weren’t mentioned in the flyer. Therapists from Bad Schmiedeberg, for example, wanted to inform about a special form of kinesiatrics but didn’t get much attention. “I am truly sorry for that,” the organizer says.

“After lunch, the attendants had the chance to inform themselves about self-help,” Tilia reports. She hadn’t been able to actively participate in planning the event due to a high-risk pregnancy. Based on parental leave, she won’t be able to organize the fourth EndoMarch in 2017 unfortunately, but no later that in 2018 she intends to actively engage herself in planning the fifth EndoMarch.